La Baracca serves up a taste of Naples
Newly opened La Baracca has taken over the space vacated by French bakery Pain Chaud on Yongkang Road and wants to welcome customers to come and enjoy delicious Italian fare and 15 varieties of spritz — if that takes your fancy.
La Baracca, which means shack in Italian, is an Italian osteria under the stewardship of the Camel Hospitality Group, who have a wide range of impressive restaurants and bars, including The Bull & Claw, KIN Urban Thai Kitchen, El Santo, D.O.C and The Camel Sports Bar.
La Baracca is one of those places where you can either enjoy a morning cappuccino and a fresh croissant, grab a gourmet sandwich for lunch or chill with friends after work with Italian-inspired plates.
The place is designed with simplicity in mind and yet exudes a relaxed vibe.
Antipasto platter
“We love Italian food and have a particular affinity for authenticity and a love for pizza,” said Todd Pearson, managing director of the Camel Hospitality Group. “We have gone for a Naples-style pizza dough for one reason only — it’s the original and the best.”
The pizzas are eight inches in size, which is a perfect for lunch but, if you are with a group, why not buy a different one and share.
I tried the artichoke and burrata pizza, which was well executed. But the other choices all looked delicious too, such as the roast pumpkin and goat cheese and maple apple and blue cheese with bacon. Surprisingly La Baracca offers calzone, an Italian pizza pocket that uses pizza dough to wrap up the filling, which in this case is broccoli, mozzarella and béchamel sauce. It was a comforting lunch pick.
“Our sandwiches are ready to grab and go and are made fresh every morning. We have focused on Italian breads paired with Italian meats and cheeses to keep authenticity in our food. Authenticity is at the top of our mantra,” Pearson said.
Coffee is an essential part of Italian culture as well and that is certainly the case in La Baracca.
Artichoke and burrata pizza
“Our coffee machine is the Eagle One from Victoria Arduino,” Pearson said.
“It’s the first of this model in Shanghai. We have selected a Yunnan coffee roast because we feel that freshness is important and the coffee coming out of Yunnan is amongst some of the world’s best.
“Coffee grown in mountainous areas in Yunnan features a fruity fragrance, rich but not bitter, aromatic but not overwhelming, which is everything we were looking for when selecting a coffee for La Baracca.”
La Baracca is also the ideal place to meet friends and try some of their 15 different types of spritz, all at 50 yuan a glass.
Aside from the classic Aperol or Campari spritz, they offer a cucumber and gin spritz, negroni spritz or a ginger and lime spritz, if you want a twist on the classic.
Info
Opening hours: 7am-10pm
Tel: 6475-3969
Address: 41-43 Yongkang Rd
Average price: 100 yuan (US$14.80)
